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Melbourne Cup 2017

2017 Melbourne Cup Tips

Australia’s most famous race, the Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m), is set to be run at Flemington Racecourse on November 7, 2017, and it promises to be another thriller and a race to remember.

Finding the winner on the first Tuesday in November is hard enough, let alone trying to find it months out from the race, but if you want to get the juiciest odds possible, it’s the only way to try and do it.

MELBOURNE CUP BETTING SELECTIONS AND TIPS

The gruelling staying test is run over 3200m and carries more than just Group 1 status.

Horses that claim victory in the race will be forever etched into Australian racing folklore and be celebrated for generations to come.

Traditional lead-up races have been the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m), held 17 days earlier, and, in more recent times, the Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley and the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) have also been successful lead-up races.

Fiorente used the Cox Plate as his springboard into the Cup, as did Green Moon in 2012.

In 2010, Americain won the Geelong Cup before claiming Melbourne Cup victory, and in 2011 French galloper Dunaden followed the same path before recording the narrowest win in Cup history when he beat the gallant Red Cadeaux by a whisker.

Some key Melbourne Cup pointers are:

Six-year-olds have a great record in the races

Only three favourites have won the Melbourne Cup since 2000

Internationals to have had a lead up run in Melbourne perform better than those who haven't

MELBOURNE CUP HORSES & RUNNERS

The final field for the 2017 Melbourne Cup has been declared with a strong international contingent taking on the home brigade.

WHERE TO BET ON THE MELBOURNE CUP

Bookmakers Ladbrokes, CrownBet and Sportsbet are the best places to bet on the Melbourne Cup and all Flemington races. They offer some of the best odds and promotions on the big race and also stream the race live online. Or take advantage of the top 5 bookmaker deals below.

Melbourne Cup History and Guide

The Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) is held at Flemington Racecourse on the first Tuesday of November each year and we provide expert tips for the Race That Stops A Nation.

The most most famous race on the Australian racing calendar looks set to be another memorable edition in 2016.

With prizemoney in excess of $6 million, the Melbourne Cup is the richest two-mile handicap race on the planet and attracts the finest stayers from Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Japan.

The field size is capped at 24 with balloting conditions determining the final field, which will be revealed on Saturday after the completion of Derby Day at Flemington.

First held in 1861, the Melbourne Cup was won by Archer in front of approximately 4,000 Flemington racegoers.

Since then, the race has grown in both status and popularity to become a significant part of Australia’s social and sporting culture and is affectionately known as ‘the race that stops a nation.’

Legend has it that the inaugural winner, Archer, walked all the way to Flemington from his stable in Nowra, New South Wales (approximately 800km) before winning the first Melbourne Cup.

Archer returned to claim back-to-back victories in 1862 for his trainer Etienne de Mestre who would go on to train five Melbourne Cup winners – an effort surpassed only by master trainer Bart Cummings, who died earlier this year.

Cummings has tasted more Cups success than any other trainer, jockey or owner, winning an unparalleled 12 Melbourne Cups; a feat that will more than likely stand the test of time.

Past winners of the Melbourne Cup have gone on to become household names with the immortal Makybe Diva topping the list with her unrivalled three consecutive Cup wins from 2003-2005.

Top 10 Melbourne Cup Winners

Flemington Racecourse Track Description

Flemington is a spacious track with one of the longest straights in Australia at 450m which gives all horses an equal chance with luck in running.

Flemington also has a 1200 metre straight track for racing which is commonly referred to as "The Straight Six" course.

The run to first turn in the Melbourne Cup is 888m, ensuring that no horse has their chances hampered during the opening half-a-mile.

Flemington Racecourse History

Steeped in tradition and home of Australia’s most iconic race, the Melbourne Cup, Flemington is arguably Australia’s most famous racecourse.

Crowds in excess of 100,000 people are a common occurrence during Flemington’s biggest race days where the Victorian Racing Club provides an entertaining environment for all.

The racecourse was first built in the 1850s and made its way onto the National Heritage List in 2006.

Flemington was originally named the Melbourne Racecourse on Crown Land after the Governor of New South Wales in 1848 formally declared 352 acres as a public racecourse and set up a six-member trust to oversee the racecourse.

The Victoria Racing Club Act passed by the government in 1871, made the club the trustees of the racecourse.

The Gold Rush era brought great wealth to Melbourne and Flemington soon grew in popularity, attracting vibrant crowds by the thousands.

Races were initially run in autumn, however, in 1854 the Victoria Turf Club decided to hold spring meetings due to favourable weather conditions - this eventually led to the hosting of the Melbourne Cup.